Tebow is frustrated by a wasted season in which he expected to have a significant role in the Jets’ offense. Yet when Mark Sanchez was benched last week for the Chargers game, it was Greg McElroy who got the assignment. Reports say Tebow was not pleased with the plan.

Rather than accept his fate, Tebow told his coaches to find someone else to run the quarterback-option scheme.

Kerley was a high school quarterback, and he ran Wildcat plays for the first time this season. He is the team's emergency quarterback but was seemingly a surprise choice for the assignment. The Jets, after all, had all three of their quarterbacks active Sunday.

Kerley's QB debut wasn't just a surprise—it worked. He threw a 42-yard pass that was among the Jets' longest completions of the season. It was also three yards more than all of Tebow's completions have accounted for this season.

The pass was underthrown, and target Clyde Gates had to wait for it. That allowed Chargers defenders to close on him and the pass, which was a floater.

"Please get down fast," Kerley told ESPN he was thinking. The ball "kind of hung up there a little bit."

Sanchez, too, could be on his way to another team, although his contract would make a trade somewhat dicey.

On Sunday against the Chargers, McElroy started, Tebow watched and helped cheerlead, and Sanchez was kept out because, according to reports, Ryan and his staff didn't want him to get razzed by Jets fans.